Put Some Respek on Gelato’s Name

Give Gelato Its Flowers

If you spend any time in the cannabis scene these days, you’d think the whole world revolves around Z terps. Zkittlez and its rainbow offspring have the hype machine on lock—dispensary menus, Instagram feeds, and competition wins. And fair play, Z is a flavor bomb and deserves the love.

But while everyone’s busy chasing the latest Z crosses, another heavyweight is getting left out of the conversation: Gelato. That’s wild, because Gelato isn’t just a “classic” from a few years ago—it’s literally the backbone of today’s genetics. Half the strains people flex about today wouldn’t even exist without it. Yet, for some reason, Gelato doesn’t get the respect it deserves anymore. Let’s fix that.

How Gelato Set the Standard

Gelato came out of San Francisco’s Cookies fam in the mid-2010s, bred by Jigga and Mario “Sherbinski” Guzmán. They crossed Sunset Sherbert with Thin Mint GSC and ended up with something that changed the game: dense, purple-flecked buds dripping with sweet, creamy dessert gas.

Different phenos—like the #33 “Larry Bird” cut and the #41 “Bacio”—gave smokers different vibes, from balanced and uplifting to heavy-hitting and gassy. The whole “dessert weed” movement? Gelato basically wrote that playbook. In fact, in 2018 Leafly crowned Gelato the first ever Strain of the Year—that’s how much of a moment it was having.

Z Might Be Loud, But Gelato Is Everywhere

Don’t get it twisted—Zkittlez deserves its crown. Bred by TerpHogZ and 3rd Gen Family, it put candy terps front and center and changed what people wanted from flower. But here’s the thing: most of the strains dominating today are Z × Gelato crosses, or Gelato somewhere in the mix.

Just look at the last few years of hype strains:

• Runtz (2020 Strain of the Year) = Zkittlez × Gelato. Without Gelato, there’s no candy-gas craze, period.

• Jealousy (2022 Strain of the Year) = Sherb Bx1 × Gelato 41. Proof that Gelato is still holding menus hostage years after its “prime.”

• Permanent Marker (2023 Strain of the Year) = basically a Gelato remix on steroids. Between Biscotti (Gelato lineage), Sherb Bx, and Jealousy, it’s Gelato all day.

So while Z gets the spotlight, Gelato is still the quiet co-star in every blockbuster.

Why Breeders Can’t Quit Gelato

Part of Gelato’s magic is how breeder-friendly it is. Its phenos are versatile, it breeds true enough to give consistency, but still has enough variation to hunt something special. That’s why you see Gelato genetics everywhere:

• Biscotti (Gelato 25 × SF OG) – a Cookies staple and breeding goldmine.

• Gelonade (Lemon Tree × Gelato 41) – citrus meets cream, a California classic.

• Countless Gelato hybrids filling shelves, carts, and dispos.

Ask around on forums and you’ll see two takes: “everything has Gelato in it” and “I’m sick of Gelato.” But even the haters can’t deny it—breeders use Gelato because it works. Stable, tasty, photogenic, and reliable in crosses. That’s a legacy not every strain can claim.

Why Gelato Deserves More Respect

1. It created the dessert wave. Gelato was the first to fully nail that sweet, creamy, gas profile.

2. It’s in all the winners. Runtz, Jealousy, Permanent Marker—the last few years of top strains all run Gelato bloodlines.

3. It’s still relevant. This isn’t nostalgia. Gelato genetics are running the show in 2025, whether people admit it or not.

Stop Sleeping on Gelato

Here’s the truth: Z is the flashy headliner, but Gelato is the producer behind the boards. It’s the DNA that keeps turning up in every strain people can’t stop talking about. If you smoke Gelato straight up today, it still hits—it’s balanced, flavorful, and timeless. And if you’re smoking most modern hybrids? Chances are, you’re smoking Gelato without even knowing it.

So let’s put some respek on Gelato’s name. Give it its flowers, because without Gelato, the modern cannabis scene doesn’t look—or taste—anything like it does now.